You have been hearing about the 9-mill levy the CCS board will place on the November ballot. If passed by voters, the levy would generate approximately $515 million over the next five years. It would increase the amount of school property taxes collected by approximately $315 per $100,000 in assessed property valuation. Passing the levy means:

•Expanding pre-school offerings for 4,800 students

•Putting more computers into classrooms

•Creating an innovation fund to support public-private partnerships to replicate and expand enrollment in high-performing CCS schools, as well as high-performing, not-for-profit neighborhood-based community schools

•Ensuring all students have access to high-quality (A or B rated) schools across the city

Voters also will decide whether funds will support the district’s Independent Auditor, who will report to Columbus Mayor Coleman, the City Auditor, the Board of Education President, the City Council President and the County Probate Judge.

The measure includes $175 million in bond funds to build 10 new schools, replace roofs, boilers and safety-related equipment and provide funds to make all CCS schools Wi-Fi accessible.

“As a community, we should encourage, promote and replicate the best of what works in education. We must support success and replace failure.”

This is just one thing Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman said on Feb. 21, delivering his State of the City address at South HS.

Mayor Coleman does not want to run the school district. He does want to help us connect with community leaders, families and others who care about our kids, so we can work together to improve outcomes for them.

He talked about a number of city initiatives. But the impact of his report centered on education. You can read his speech at http://mayor.columbus.gov/.

Here are some sound bites:

About preschool: “We need the private sector, non-profits, faith-based organizations, along with the state and federal government to help us fund and deliver this essential foundation of a quality education.”

About technology: “Most Columbus schools have only three to five computers per classroom. This is clearly inadequate.”

About excellent schools: “Unfortunately, we don’t have enough good schools in Columbus. When you combine Columbus City Schools and charter schools, only 5 percent of schools earn an ‘A’ rating. That means only 2,800 of 65,000 students go to excellent schools. Meanwhile, five times as many students attend failing schools-both district and charter. This is unacceptable and needs to change.”

Here’s what he covered:

Operational efficiency: “We must use the Columbus City Schools operations review to find more efficient ways to deliver district services.”

Teacher and principal excellence: “We must make it a priority to attract and retain the best teachers and the best principals for our schools.”

Quality Pre-K: “We must make it a community priority for every child to have access to Pre-K education, regardless of income.”

Closing the digital divide: “We must give teachers and students direct, individual access to classroom technology, beginning at the middle-school level.”

Encouraging successful schools: “We must encourage and replicate good CCS schools and, ultimately, replace the ones that consistently fail; and we must embrace and recruit high-quality charter schools and find a way to close the bad ones.”

CEA applauds the mayor for speaking out on these important issues. He is concerned about the future of our city, and much of its success is tied to education. That is why he, along with Council Member Andrew Ginther, formed the Columbus Education Commission. This is a community-wide commission designed to provide feedback and recommendations. CEA President Rhonda Johnson sits on the CEC. Keep reading your Voice for reports from the commission’s meetings.